President Pezeshkian calls on citizens not to let ‘rioters and terrorists’ destabilize Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the nation should not allow rioters to cause insecurity in the country, stressing that protesting is different from rioting.

“If the people have concerns, it is our duty to resolve their concerns, but the higher duty is that we must not allow a group of rioters to come and disrupt the entire society,” Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

Addressing Iran’s youth, Pezeshkian told them “not to be deceived by these rioters and terrorists” as he pleaded with Iranian families not to let their children join the “rioters and terrorists.”

“These people are trained,” he warned.

The enemies of the Iranian people have trained a group of people both inside and outside the country to destroy public and private properties and kill citizens, he said. 

“The enemy has infiltrated trained terrorists into the country. Rioters and saboteurs are not the protesting people. We listen to the protestors and have made our utmost efforts to solve their problems,” Pezeshkian said.

The president reiterated that the United States and Israel were behind the violent riots in the country.  

“The US and Israel are telling… ‘we are behind you’. The same people who killed children and infants in our country are telling these rioters to go and destroy and burn,” Pezeshkian said, referring to the June military aggression against Iran.

The president said that his administration was responsible for resolving the nation’s problems and easing public concerns, while at the same time preventing rioters from undermining security.

Pezeshkian emphasized that the killing of civilians “is not acceptable at all” and said the United States and Israel are training the rioters and supporting them.

After the enemy’s defeat in the 12‑day war last June, the president said they were now seeking to destabilize Iran under the guise of economic grievances.

He urged the nation to remain vigilant against such plots and to support the government’s efforts to promote justice and combat corruption and smuggling.

“People have the right to protest, and we have the duty to respond to their demands,” Pezeshkian said. “But riots, attacks on public property, and the burning of mosques and the holy Qur’an reflect the schemes of the United States and Israel.”

He said Iran’s security and defense forces were obliged to act firmly against rioters and terrorists. The president questioned which country would describe such violent acts as legitimate protest, asking whether the United States itself would tolerate similar behavior.

Pezeshkian called on Iranians from all walks of life to work with the government to confront the foreign‑backed unrest, stressing that the nation would not allow outsiders to sow division.

He urged the public to separate themselves from rioters and armed groups.

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